HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: When I get ready for a trip, I take a picture of my packed suitcase(s) on my mobile phone. I also put my name, office address and phone numbers inside my luggage because sometimes people pick up the wrong bag at the airport. This way they can call me to let me know that they took my luggage by mistake. So far, I’ve only had my luggage lost once when I went to Los Angeles, but my luggage had a nice trip to Honolulu.

— Frank W., Illinois

DEAR HELOISE: I got tired of yelling at the dog for getting up on my new sofa. I took a long sheet of airfilled packaging and tucked it around the seat of my sofa. The moment the dog jumped up there, he was startled by the popping noise and the feel of plastic under his little paws. Problem solved.

— Sally P., Van Wert, Ohio

DEAR HELOISE: When my dad died, I inherited his tools. They were top of the line in quality, but they had been neglected over a number of years and had gotten rusty. My wife said you’d recommend vinegar to get the rust off, so I soaked them in vinegar for 10 days, then took them out and used a pad of steel wool to remove the stubborn rust. Now they look as good as if they were new.

— Trent D., Louisiana

DEAR HELOISE: While buying paint at a local store, the salesman told me to take a wide rubber band and stretch it over the can opening and down the sides. This allowed me to wipe off excess paint against the rubber band rather than the edge of the can of paint. It just creates less of a mess when painting.

— Noreen L., Indiana

DEAR HELOISE: My housekeeper comes every two weeks, and since I have a hard time putting the fitted sheets on, I have her put two fitted, bottom sheets on the bed. I can change the sheets once a week. I just take off the top one and there’s another. All I have to do is put on the flat sheet.

— Vicki G. in New Mexico

DEAR HELOISE: My coffee filters used to collapse whenever I made coffee, and that resulted in coffee grounds in each cup. Now, I wet two sides under the faucet and use my thumbs to push the filter tighter to the sides. This holds the filter up without collapsing during brewing.

— Judy V., Florida

HELOISE